


not much for princes

by platonics



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, First Meetings, Flirting, Getting to Know Each Other, Handholding, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Late Night Conversations, Lowercase, Meet-Cute, Nonbinary Shinguji Korekiyo, Other, Pre-Relationship, Princes & Princesses, kiyos entire family sucks and we hate them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-29 00:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platonics/pseuds/platonics
Summary: no matter the time or place, it was an eternal stereotype that little girls wanted to grow up to be princesses.himiko's never liked the responsibilities of her status, but she discovers that one part might not be as bad as she thought.
Relationships: Shinguji Korekiyo/Yumeno Himiko
Kudos: 8





	not much for princes

**Author's Note:**

> just a teeny oneshot to flex my writing muscles after taking nearly a month off from fic. i've been pretty busy, so all my writing energy has been going to school and rp tbh
> 
> anyway! a friend gave me the prompt "prince x princess" and here's the result

no matter the time or place, it was an eternal stereotype that little girls wanted to grow up to be princesses. but being a princess wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. yumeno himiko knew that better than most. being a princess was about being controlled and molded to fit the image of whatever the kingdom needed. 

that control extended to those she associated with, of course. relationships were determined based on strategic value, not anything so base as emotion. as the only heir to the throne, marriage into another powerful family was key. that was what her parents told her, anyway. 

she was betrothed to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, a power play decided on when they were both children. they’d never met, and in the eyes of their parents, they didn’t need to. who cared if they got along when the wedding would happen either way?

when she was young, himiko tried not to think about it. she learned early that any complaints about not wanting to marry some gross _boy_ would be ignored. her mother always just chuckled in a strained way that said she was trying not to outwardly express her annoyance.

“when the time comes, you’ll feel differently,” she always said, but himiko didn’t think that was true. it wasn’t just some phase she was going through; it was how she’d felt her entire life.

mingling at balls and other elite events was never her thing either. she felt entirely unsuited to her birthright, the responsibilities and privileges she should feel entitled to. they’d traveled all this way — to the very kingdom her betrothed was from, in fact — to attend, and all she could think about was how utterly stifling the opulence felt. the ballroom was vast, with high ceilings and gleaming marble floors, but when packed with people, it felt so much more suffocating than the small hiding places she favored at home.

so she slipped outside, glancing around to make sure no one was following. in the cool, damp night air, it only felt right to let herself turn toward the gardens. all that lush greenery might be able to lessen the sick, gnawing feeling of anxiety in her stomach.

finding a stone bench right in the middle of everything, perfect for looking at the moonlit flowers, himiko took a seat, smoothing out her dress beneath her. if this was the palace she’d soon be spending some of her time in, at least the outdoor spaces had something to offer.

there was a rustling noise then, distinct from the sound of the breeze rustling leaves throughout the garden. no, instead it sounded more like heavy skirts swishing, one of the noises from the ballroom she’d just escaped.

when she looked up, the figure she was greeted by nearly took her breath away. they carried themself with the kind of elegance she could only dream of. everything about them looked exquisite, from the long, dark hair cascading down their back to the deep green fabric of their dress, stark against their pale skin.

“i wasn’t expecting to find someone in my spot,” they commented, arching an eyebrow. “mind if i join you?”

“your spot?” that came as enough of a surprise that himiko blurted it out without thinking, completely failing at the sort of fake, simpering politeness expected of her. far from seeming offended though, they laughed, long fingers lifting to cover their already-masked mouth. their nails were painted red, she noticed, the same shade as her hair, her dress.

“shall i take that as a yes?” they stepped closer, but slowly, as if giving her an opportunity to refuse before they joined her on the bench. “the gardens are nice, aren’t they? i spend a great deal of time out here.”

“you do? then...”

“yes, i live here. a bit impolite to escape the festivities when i am one of the hosts, i know, but something told me i should take a look outside.” it was a good thing they were wearing a mask. himiko felt like seeing their smile might just kill her. more importantly though, this stranger...this princess...was from the family she was destined to marry into. were they aware of who she was?

“do you have a brother?” she blurted out all at once, needing to ask the question before she could lose her nerve. this could be a chance to find out some inside information on just who she’d be stuck with.

“a brother?” they tilted their head slightly, an almost feline gleam of interest entering their eyes. “no, i can’t say that i do. just a sister.”

himiko blinked, thrown off. did she make a mistake? was there another royal family in this kingdom? she couldn’t honestly admit to paying much attention in her lessons.

“oh. sorry, i was just curious. you see...i’m betrothed to a prince from this kingdom, so if you’re part of the royal family...i assumed it must be your brother.”

“ah. that’s the issue, then.” they leaned a little closer, tucking a stray bit of hair behind their ear. “in that case, it’s lovely to meet you.” when they outstretched their hand, she shook it without thinking, eyes wide as she tried to process what exactly they were saying. seeming to sense her confusion, they added, “that would be me, technically. i’d rather not be called a prince though.”

“so we’re...”

“going to be married, yes, it seems so. i suppose i should introduce myself, shouldn’t i? shinguuji korekiyo.” 

“princess shinguuji korekiyo,” she tried out, reveling in the way they looked away for a moment, almost shyly. she’d only known them for a few minutes, but she already had a feeling that wasn’t easy to accomplish. their hands were still joined, warm and real. she’d never been allowed to interact with someone like this before.

“yes,” they agreed, clearing their throat. “and you’re princess yumeno himiko.”

“you already knew who i was?” that made her feel a little guilty, but before she could even start to get the words out, they were responding to the very same thought.

“i won’t hold it against you. i’m more interested in getting to know each other now.”

“i doubt we’re supposed to be spending time together unsupervised like this.” before the wedding...what a scandal. it shouldn’t be, considering they were getting married regardless, but that was how these antiquated customs worked. she inched closer to them anyway, more than a little interested.

“probably not, but i don’t see you getting up to leave.”

“maybe you’re already a bad influence on me,” she said, smiling despite herself. the distant sounds from the ball inside were still going on, but it didn’t matter to her. they were the only one on her mind.

“i don’t mind accepting that responsibility if you’ll have me.” kiyo wrapped an arm around her, shielding her from the chilly night time breeze.

“good. i’ve never cared much about princes anyway.”


End file.
